Cape Fear Wildlife Expo--Call to Artists

New Call to Artists

Cape Fear Wildlife Expo, Wilmington
The Cape Fear Wildlife Expo, in conjunction with the North Carolina Wildlife Artist Society, is seeking designs for the Expo’s 2011 commemorative poster. The Cape Fear Wildlife Expo’s goal is to heighten public awareness of natural resources and to encourage conservation of these valuable resources. This call to artists is open to professional and amateur artists ages 18 and older.
Deadline: January 31
For more information: http://www.capefearwildlifeexpo.com/PosterContest.htm

Dutch commandos in Afghanistan pt.6/6 (9:11 ZULU)

Military Portrait Promotion for January 2011

Portrait Promotional Link on AdsInUSA.com

I am proud to offer a military special for the month of January, 2011.  The ad link is featured above.  Simply mention this ad for the promotional portrait for your military member.




 

The Original Watercolor Paintings Featured on Card Line Available!

Original Watercolor 'Thanks' Frog; license date 2005; 5" x 7"

I am thrilled to announce that the original watercolor paintings that were first licensed in 2005 are now available!  These first three paintings were the basis to the 'Frog Line' that has been sold over 1600 times--with each print being sold over 300 times each.  Feel free to do an internet search for these guys--you'll find them just about everywhere!  (hint:  kerra lindsey frog or icansketchu frog).


Each painting comes signed with a certificate of authenticity and first licensed date.  They are whimsical in nature and made with the finest artist grade paints and Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper.  These would make a great gift and a collectable!  You can't find these any where else!

More will be available soon as I know the Pink Flamingo Line, (my most popular line that has been sold in 15 countries!), has been requested often.  Have an original in mind that you'd like?  Just let me know via email and I'll see if it's still available. 

Cheers!
-Kerra

Art With An Infant

After chasing the little guy away from the dog dish for the 20th time, dinner, clean up, bath and, of course, going out for an adventure with the older two boys, I headed back to the 'cheese' covered painting from yesterday morning.  Seems the smear wasn't too bad and was able to salvage what is to be the 'I'm So Sorry' kitty-cat.  Which, I have to tell you, I find ironic now.  :)

I received an email yesterday from Zazzle letting me know I was picked for their 'Best Awards' page--woo hoo!  Big grins from that an a great motivator to get my hands back in those paints.  It was a design from the Pink Flamingo Line--two pink flamingos who recently got married.   A big thank-you for picking that design!

I'm off to sneak in a few watercolor layers while the little guy is still sleeping--here's hoping I don't add a layer of coffee to go along with it.

Cheers!
-Kerra

Art With An Infant

Ah--another day in the life of Art With An Infant!  What will the day bring?  Who knows!  I found myself juggling my artwork around--this time it's landed on the kitchen table.  While I balanced the little guy's breakfast on his tray, I thought I'd steal a few moments to work on this little kitty-cat series I recently started.  Ha!  Nice thought--bad application.

After retrieving his 'accidentally' dropped sippy cup four times, I realized my time was not being well managed. So, time for some toast-art!  After gathering up his munched on toast we found this golfing man below.  

Toast Golfing

He's not a masterpiece by any means, but, of course, it was silly fun to make something out of his remnants.

While the baby takes a morning nap I think I'll try my hand again at those cats.  Perhaps I should make sure my hands are free of food bits first, (made the mistake of picking up a painting and oops!  Cheese now on the edge--geesh!).  

You know what a plus is to Art With An Infant?  My own mess gets overlooked as he's trumped me every time with his own!

Poor kitty-cat on the right now with cheese

Have your own art with your little one?  Share it here!  

Off I go--back to the table!

Cheers!

-Kerra

Art With An Infant

My little Picasso and art partner.  :)

Love art?  Does the thought of a paint brush in your hand bring a grin and inspiration to create?  Hmm--ever tried your hand at art?  That is, with an infant?  The results may surprise you--and they're not what you're thinking.  Art seems to take on a whole new dimension when you're adding in a little one--a little one that decides what and where art is going to be created.  For example, over breakfast this morning, (a nice surprise at 5:30 am), I caught myself creating a masterpiece.  I know, right?  Who would have thought I could have painted a little one's face with cereal and yogurt in such a fashion as to resemble a movie-zombie make-up-artist-style?  Better yet, after eating, as I set my freshly cleaned baby down, I looked down and wha-la!  Instant artwork on my white t-shirt!  It was gorgeous--very 'picasso' like in it's entirety.  Looking at it in the mirror, I could make out different shapes and colors--perhaps it was a jungle scene?  Or maybe a person running down an alley?  I'm wondering if I should just photograph these 'designs' and start posting them as 'new art for the milenium'?  Seems to be the only real art I've been creating as of late, (credit given to the infant, too, of course).

Creativity come in all forms!

What's your style of art with an infant?  Do you have painted walls of sweet potatoes?  Or maybe a circle of rice and peas in an eye catching pattern on the floor?  I'm going to start a collection just for giggles sake.  Ah--only a few hours left until 'we' can create another masterpiece.  I can hardly wait!

-Cheers!
-Kerra

Artists Network - Jen''s Picks: Realistic Drawing Tips

Artists Network - Jen''s Picks: Realistic Drawing Tips

Keys to accurate drawings:

If you can't put a name to the object you are drawing, it's not likely that your mind will predetermine how that object should look in a drawing. Below are two exercises that will help you banish pre-conceived ideas while you observe and draw.

Begin by drawing two squares with the sides of at least 3 inches, (7.6 cm) long. Squares that are much smaller than this will cramp your work space. Keep in mind that teeny tiny drawings allow the creation of teeny tiny errors, which are much harder to see and correct.

Working within a square will provide vertical and horizontal boundary lines for making comparisons. As you observe the shapes within the square's perimeter, ask yourself these questions:

How close to the perimeter is each shape?

How do the angles formed by the shapes compare to vertical and horizontal?

Do the shapes cross through the center of the swaure and if so, by how much?

How does each shape compare in size to ther others around it?

What do the empty spaces surrounding the shapes look like and how large are they?

Making these comparisons will help you see the subject in a anew, more comprehensive way. now, try to draw the shapes in the boxes with as much accuracy as you can.

Whimsical Feel Better Soon Pink Flamingo Humor Greeting Cards from Zazzle.com

Whimsical Feel Better Soon Pink Flamingo Humor Greeting Cards from Zazzle.com

You know what's worse than 'feeling blue'? Feeling that way for even one more day! Whether it's a break-up, a job-loss, even just everyday things taking over, don't let it go on any longer. Send your friend a quick pick-me-up in the mail with this personalizable card! Created in watercolor in a whimsical style. This 'once pink' flamingo bird is part of the official Pink Flamingo Line!

Master a Technique Every Painter Needs

Master a Technique Every Painter Needs
The process of underpainting has such a buttoned-up reputation. If it were cast in a movie, it would be the uptight, by-the-book stickler that no one wants to hangout with. But there’s another side to underpainting—one that’s freewheeling with an “anything goes” attitude. It allows artists to take a dry run at the canvas, working out compositional questions and value issues or mapping out a complex color scheme while keeping a lot of options open so that painting can evolve organically.

The multi-hued underpainting of The Bouquet by John Taye.				The Bouquet by John Taye, 2008, oil, 16 x 12.

Most artists tend to work gesturally when underpainting. They block in large elements or passages of color and save the fine details for the final stages of the piece. But beyond that, there are no hard and fast rules about the process. Although underpaintings historically tend to be monochromatic, with pigments used for an almost watercolorlike effect, artists can also incorporate multiple colors into underpaintings or play off adjacent complements, much like Seurat and Signac did, as well as contemporary artist John Taye.

Columbia Clouds by Scott Gellatly

An underpainting can also invigorate areas of a composition that are fairly uniform but also have many facets to them, such as large expanses of air or water. Laying down blue over orange or green over red and allowing parts of an underpainting to push through can help capture light and atmospheric effects on canvas and adds vibrancy and visual interest to the final painting.
So in a twist fit for daytime soap operas, a dull and tedious underpainting can actually become a free-spirited process that allows us to work according to our artistic needs and style. You can create a dress rehearsal for your work and also start to understand how painting masters created complex color layers and luminous light effects. How do you approach underpainting in your work? Leave a comment and let us know. And for a better understanding of the material aspects of your chosen medium, The Encyclopedia of Oil Painting Techniques, The Encyclopedia of Acrylic Techniques, and The Encyclopedia of Pastel Techniques are available and may give you insight on how underpainting—and more—contributes to the versatile visual effects of each medium.

Open Call to Artists! Big Awards!

http://www.3rdwardopencall.com/?from=asingularcreation2

What would you create for $5,000, three months in NYC, and your very own art show? You have the vision and now 3rd Ward is offering you a place in the international art world. You are invited to submit a portfolio of your best completed artwork, work-in-progress or conceptual proposal for our Summer Solo Show. A 3rd Ward Membership not required.

Call to artists! :)

http://www.studiovisitmagazine.com/

Imagekind Link Found! Where are the rest?

Have you been in Imagekind?  Wow!  What fun looking through all different types of art!  Fine art, whimsical designs--even graphical creations!  Something for eveyone for sure!

I've recently been trying to consolidate my portfolio--you know, leave out the 'er, what the?' images and leave only 'the good stuff'.    This has found me searching through all the sites I've participated with over the years, (since 1994), and what a challenge!  Emails lost in the mass of sites--how to link these all together in one spot?  Hmm--still pondering here as I go through them one by one making lists.  At this point it's pretty overwhelming for sure.

The reason I mention imagekind is because of their layout format--it seems to be one of the best out there.  They have quality products, easy ordering and pretty thorough customer service if you do need help.  Nice!

Stop by if you get a chance--it's candy for the art oriented eyes!
Cheers!

-Kerra

Car Auto Wreck Accident Paper Greeting Card from Zazzle.com

Car Auto Wreck Accident Paper Greeting Card from Zazzle.com

Another successful 'I draw for YOU!' card! A special request from our new form on the website www.icansketchu.com.

Just send me an email of what you'd like-be as specific as possible about your desired theme.

I will confirm via email for you, send you the link to YOUR new card for purchase, and it's shipped off to you or your desired recipient--easy!

I'm just an email away for YOUR card--you can email me at:

Kerra@icansketchu.com

Cheers!

-Kerra

Unique I'm Sorry Apology Mouse Flowers Card from Zazzle.com

Unique I'm Sorry Apology Mouse Flowers Card from Zazzle.com

Networked Blogs on Facebook

Trying out a new application on facebook where you can implement blog updates automatically.  Hopefully this works!  :)

Space Is Full Through July

Thank you to everyone for your support in the fund-raiser for the Wound Warrior Project!

Due to the high demand of commission paintings, space is full until the end of July 2010, though I am still accepting reservations for future paintings.

You can still support this fundraiser by purchasing cards, or posters and more by referencing your purchase to my email:  Kerra@icansketchu.com.

Thanks again!  It's such a worthwhile and rewarding program for all involved.

Cheers!

-Kerra

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Come and Join Us On Facebook!

Fine and Whimsical Art

 

I personally invite you to join our chat on facebok about art and free speech, (drawing, too!), in America.

 

Look forward to seeing you there!

-Kerra

Official Image Now Available from Everybody Draw Muhammed Day on Facebook

This is an issue of free speech--not about hate.

http://www.zazzle.com/official_image_from_everybody_draw_muhammed_poster-228229109647874911

Well, here is the link to the offical image from Everybody Draw Muhammed Day on 4/20/2010.  If you missed the debate, don't worry--you can still go and visit the site with over 108,500 members and climbing EVERY minute!

This is the ONLY place to grab a piece of digital history in hard copy form!

Here's an excerp from the group:
"NOTE TO THOSE WHO ARE OFFENDED: We are not hating on Muslims or the religion of Islam. We are simply strongly dissatisfied with the actions that certain groups (which happen to be Islamic) have taken. But if the same situation were happening with another religious group, or for that matter with a group that weren't religious at all, we would be equally indignant."

Want to go straight to the group?  Here's the link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Everybody-Draw-Mohammed-Day/121369914543425?v=photos&so=60#!/group.php?gid=121507624529752&v=wall

Unbelievable "Tape Art" !

I saw this artist today from a link from Cheap Joe's Art Supply store and wanted to share it--impressive!

http://flavorwire.com/84659/pic-of-the-day-tape-noir

Mixed media artist Mark Khaisman layers translucent packing tape on Plexiglas panels to create images that have the shadow and depth of large scale paintings. “My Tape Art is a conversation with light,” he explains. “I started it like a traditional stained glass artist, but with tape I found I could continue my conversation with light, but in a more expedient manner.” Each piece takes Khaisman about a week to complete; he draws from his training as an architect to create a plan, but then allows the tape to guide his course. Click through for more pieces from his “There’s a Frame Missing” series.